In the summer of 1942, the U.S. was still reeling from the attack on Pearl Harbor and Japanese victories throughout the Far East. Then the tide turned with the battles of the Coral Sea and the pivotal Battle for Midway. In the opening of a six-month effort to wrest control of the lower Solomon Islands, the first landing of American forces on a Japanese-held island occurred on August 7, 1942, on Guadalcanal. Containing both blunders and heroism, this campaign shaped American strategy for the rest of the war in the Pacific. An exceptionally thorough and multifaceted documentary, The Island of Death features interviews with historians and American combatants from all branches of the military; battle footage from the National Archives; and strategic maps and other graphics.